Apparatus for making fluid pressure connections to the instruments on an instrument panel



ct.,9, 1945. v D. SAMIRAN I 2,336,270

APPARATUS FOR MAKING FLUID PRESSURE CONNECTIONS TO THE INSTRUMENTS ON AN INSTRUMENT PANEL Filed May 13, 1943 K Q 5e 49 4 32 Y 35 fi 54 I2 /-\/NTOE 941/49 A 1 rTQQ/VEV Patented Oct. 9, 1945 APPARATUS FOR MAKING FLUID PRESSURE CONNECTIONS TO THE INSTRUMENTS ON AN INSTRUMENT PANEL David Samiran, Osborn, Ohio Application May 13, 1943, Serial No. 486,832

3 Claims. (Cl. 284-19) (Granted under the act'of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to apparatus for eilecting quick disconnection and reconnection of the separate instruments on an instrument panel, such as are used in land, sea or aircraft, from the fluid pressure lines which operate them.

The instruments on the instrument panel of aircraft are becoming increasingly numerous, and therefore are of necessity grouped closer together, and there are, in some cases. two connectors leading to the same instrument, as, for instance, an air connector and a fuel connector, and in such case the connectors to fluid pressure lines are so close together that it is almost impossible to operate the wrenches which are necessarily employed in making conventional pressure connections between the lines and the instrument. Furthermore, it becomes necessary, at frequent intervals, to remove, calibrate and replace these instruments. In such cases it is not only necessary to disconnect the pressure lines, but the disconnected ends must be plugged against leakage until the repaired instrument is returned into place. x

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a connector of minimum diameter for a given capacity, which has one part connected to g the instrument and another part to the line, with provision whereby the instrument may be disconnected from its one or more lines without any tools by merely pulling the instrument from the panel and thereby operating a mechanism which will allow the parts of the connectors to bedrawn apart.

Another object is to provide means for shutting off the fiow from the source of supply when the instrument is disconnected.

Another object is to provide a coupling of minimum inside diameter for a given outside diameter wherein a locking device may, by a single manual movement, be made to lock the two parts of the coupling together.

Other obJects will be apparent from consideration of the following description taken in con- Junction with the drawing, wherein:

The single figure of the drawing shows one of the improved connectors in place in an instrument, the instrument being in place on a panel.

Referring to the figure an instrument I! is secured to the panel Ill by means of the screws II, the instrument being connected by one of my improved connectors to a short pipe nipple l4, which is in turn connected by a flexible hose (not shown) to a source of pressure supply. The connector assembly may be broadly designated by the numeral IS.

The connector comprises an operating sleeve 58 which is slidable over the main body 20. A

fitting 22 is press-fitted over the body 20, its exterior surface being slidable in the operating sleeve I8. The fitting 22 has a flange, 23 at the outer end and is interiorly threaded at 24 to receive the pipe nipple l4 which extends from the pressure source.

extending portion being slidable in th body por-' tion 20. An opening 36 extends axial y'throughout the length of the tube 34. The rearward end of the tube 34 is transversely slotted as at 38, a valve ball 40 being normally resting on the end of the tube, but being axially movable into place on the seat 42 by the spring 44 whenever the tube 34 is withdrawn from the body portion.

A series of detent balls 46 are contained in a circular row of pockets in the body 20 and are nested in an annulargroove extending around the exterior surface of the tube 34, being normally held in this nestedposition by the sleeve I8. A spiral spring of about two convolutions is loosely contained in an annular groove 60 formed in the inside of the sleeve E8, the inner convolution being of such size as to spring snugly in one or the other of the shallow grooves 52 or 53 which are cut in the exterior surface of the body 20. Grooves 52 and 53 are preferably axially spaced apart a distance equal to the space 54 between the fianges 28 and 23, in order that when the operating sleeve ismoved axially from the position shown until the'fianges 28 and 23 make contact, the spring 48 will have moved out of the groove -52 and just far enough to be in position to drop into the other groove 53. The spiral spring 48 thus serves the same purpose as a spring and ball detent, the inner convolution, which nests in the groove 52, achieving the same result as the ball, and the outer convolution the same result as the spring, the advantage of the present structure being not only that it has fewer parts, but

that it is adapted to yieldingly hold thin walled tubular elements axially positioned with respect to each other. 1

when the operating sleeve moves axially to the unlocked position, that is, with the flanges 28 and 23 in contact, the detent ball 48 will be in alignment with the seat 56in the forward end of the body 20 which will allow the tube 34 to be withdrawn from the body, whereupon the valve ball 40 may be pressed into engagement with the seat 42 by the spring 44.

The normal connected condition of the device is as shown in the drawing. When an instrument is to be removed, it is merely uniastened lrom the panel Ml by removing the screws 1 I, then drawing the instrument forward away from the panel, this movement being far enough to draw the entire connected device forwardly until the rear one of the flanges 28 makes contact with the sub-panel 26. Some resistance will be encountered at this point, but further forward movement of the instrument will shift the operating sleeve i8 relative to the body 20 and fitting 22, forcing the inner convolution of the spring 48 out of the groove 52 in which it appears in the drawing, and into the other groove 53. Inasmuch as the detent ball 48 now has the seat 56 into which it may be moved outwardly, the tube 34 may be completely'withdrawn from the body, thus allowing thespring 44 to press the valve 40 into contact with the seat 42, thereby sealing the pressure source I4 against leakage. The instrument may then be repaired or calibrated, as the case may be, and returned to position.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for connecting'and disconnecting pressure lines to the instruments on an instrument panel which comprises, in combination, an instrument secured to said instrument panel,

movement of said sleeve in said supporting means, stop means to limit axial movement of a fluid pressure connector for said instrument,

said connector comprising a tubular body Joined to the pressure line, a tubular plunger secured in the back of each instrument and slidable axially in the tubular body, a tubular locking sleeve slidable axially over the outside of said body, supporting means rigidly fixed in back of said panel for said locking sleeve, stop means to limit axial said sleeve with respect to said body, a locking means carried by said body operative by movement of said sleeve for engaging said plunger and locking said plunger against withdrawal from said body, and detent means carried in said sleeve operative to yieldingly engage said body when the sleeve has moved to the locking position.

. 2. A fluid pressure connectorcomprising a tubular body, a tubular plunger axially slidable in said body, yieldable seal rings in grooves in the outside of said plunger for sealing against leakage between said body andplunger, a tubular locking sleeve axially slidable on the outside of said body, a locking means carried by said tubular body adapted to engage said plunger and prevent axial movement between said body and said plunger, a valve in said body held in the open position by said plunger when said plunger is fully inserted in said body, means on said sleeve for actuating said locking means by relative axial movement between said sleeve and said body, stop means to limit relative axial movement between said sleeve and said body, and detent means carried by said sleeve tensioned radially inward to bear on said body for yieldably holding said sleeve in the operated position of said locking means.

3. A fluid pressure connector comprising a tu- V. H

bular body, a tubular plunger axially slidable in said body, a tubular locking sleeve axially slidable on the outside of said body, a locking means carried by said tubular body adapted to engage said plunger and prevent axial movement between said body and said plunger, a valve in said body held in the open position by said plunger when saidplunger is fully inserted in said body, means on said sleeve for actuating said locking means by relative axial movement between said sleeve and said body, stop means to limit relative axial movement between said sleeve and said body, and resilient detent means carried by said sleeve in engagement with said body for yieldably holding said sleeve in either the operated or the unoperated position 0! said locking means.

DAVID SAMLHIAN. 

